In Sudan, hundreds of families, or thousands of people, fled the town of Bahri, in the northern suburbs of the capital Khartoum, on Saturday, September 7. Since last Wednesday, this locality has been the scene of violent clashes between the Rapid Support Forces, the FSR, and the regular army. These facts raise questions about why fighting has resumed since the middle of the week in this area.
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At Sudanthe intensification of fighting on the outskirts of Khartoum is linked to an attack by the FSR, the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, against the important military base of Hattab located in the north of the city of Bahri.
Since the start of the civil war in the country, more than a year ago, this base has been controlled by the regular army. To defend its positions, it has fired artillery towards the south towards the attackers.
In response, the FSR, according to testimonies reported by the Agence France-Presse, have ” attacked houses, captured civilians and shot others dead “.
A new ordeal for civilians
Caught between the two belligerents, thousands of civilians have therefore preferred to leave their homes for their safety. They are in addition to the more than 10 million internally displaced persons or Sudanese refugees that the United Nations has counted since April 15, 2023, the date the conflict began.
The Hattab military base is one of the army’s last strongholds in the Khartoum area. The government, after being driven out of the capital, has taken refuge in the eastern city of Port Sudan.
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